When Travis Annabel saw statistics on how frequently domestic violence occurs, he decided to raise awareness via short film.
The Faulconbridge filmmaker and former Winmalee High student had wanted to create a short film to enter in Tropfest and was looking for a theme with a strong message that would create a social impact.
When he read that one in three women will experience domestic violence, and one in four children will be exposed to domestic violence, he was alarmed.
“It got us thinking how many people are ignorant of how bad this situation is. It [the shortfilm] really snowballed from there,” Annabel said.
“My Home of Thorns is an Australian short drama film that aims to create discussion, and shine a harsh, bright light upon the plague that is domestic violence, and the effect it can have on children.”
The film is told through the eyes of a 12-year-old girl, who wears headphones to drown out her parents arguing, which usually ends up leading to violence.
Annabel wrote the script and hopes to film in April in a house in either the Blue Mountains or Emu Heights, with a few scenes at a beach on the Central Coast.
But first he and his small Motion Factory team must raise the $7000 required to produce the film and have taken to crowdfunding to achieve this.
They have raised $981 of the $7000 target. Visit the Kickstarter page to donate before April 13 at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/689217585/my-home-of-thorns. If they don’t reach the target, they won’t see any of the funds, with all donations returned to people. “I’m confident we will hit the target,” Annabel said.
He’s hoping to submit the film for screening at the LA Film Festival and the Tribeca Film Festival in New York.
“I hope that the film in a small way gives some of these people a voice,” he said.